Disclaimer -- I own nothing... not even my home... it's all JK Rowling's, who is one of the most creative people I have ever had the privilege to read...

Madison's Ranting

It was evening when her parents and in-laws entered the village. Rowan went to the elders, as was custom, while Remus sought out his daughter. Rowan was given permission to visit the village; after she let them know that others from England would be joining them, and it would be best if they were just ignored. The elders, uncharacteristically, agreed. She left them to shimmer to her husband's side as he searched for their daughter, "The elders will leave us alone," was all she said as she took his hand.

Sirius found himself in front of a small thatch hut, he could just feel her inside. They waited outside the front door, just out of sight, until it opened; watching in silence as the young woman opened the door and stepped into the light of the moon. All were shocked at her gaunt appearance. Her hair was messed; her body bone thin, the color of her skin was yellowish and almost translucent. They made no move at first; they stayed in the shadows and watched.

Tonight was the night her patience would pay off. Tonight was the night that the children were allowed out the front door by their older sister. She was fifteen or so, dark hair and skin; an Aztec beauty. Her brother joined her; he was maybe thirteen and colored just like their parents. They beckoned the two little ones out of the house while their parents were gone. Madison caught parts of their conversation "… they need sunlight… well, moonlight… they're babies… not supposed to… what about her…" But it was disjointed.

She watched as the two little ones walked unsteadily out of the hut into the light of the full moon. Both had shocking blonde hair and fair skin. They squinted in the shade of the large trees, looking as though they had never been in the moonlight or sun before. They were both lanky build, not under nourished, just long and lean children. Before she realized what she was doing, she rose and walked toward the children. Looking up at the woman, both little ones raised their arms to her.

It was at that precise moment that loud cracks began to thunder around her. Sirius, Remus, and Rowan moved from the shadows. She ignored all of them and continued to walk across her 'yard' to the children. The primal need was stopped only by a well placed stunning spell. Draco squinted at the group of children and stopped as he did so. The two little ones, so... familiar, walking without fear to the stunned woman. He looked down at his fallen wife; her hand was reaching toward them. He looked again to the children. They were closer. The older ones did not move.

The little ones, gaining strength, but probably had not been walking long, fell and began to crawl to the woman. The girl reached her first. "Mama" she said petting the stunned woman hair. The little boy reached her next and said "Mama" as he patted her back. The group stared at them as they reached Madison, shock evident on their faces as they heard the words.

They lit the torches around the yards with a flick of their hands. The area, now in full light revealed the sight with too much clarity. Madison looked horrible. She was thin. These two blonde children were now sitting next to her body, still touching her and calling her 'Mama'.

As the adults looked from the babies, to Madison, and back to the older children, he heard her groan; still reaching for the two blonde children as she turned over, pulling them to her embrace. "My babies…" she muttered over and over.

Lucius and Remus pulled the children from of her grasp. When the four touched, a small electric shock went through them. They took them back to the older children and apologized for scaring them. They nodded and each taking a child returned to the safety of their own home. Remus' thoughts slid into place at the same moment Lucius' did: Those were his grandchildren. Those two blonde thin children… they were LUPINS, MALFOYS, but they were HIS GRANDCHILDREN! Both returned to the door and began to knock. No one answered.

Draco had stayed with Madison who was sitting in the middle of the group of sorcerers and sorceresses, her head in her hands crying, trying to get up, but too weak to do so. They could all hear "Please, don't take them… not again... my babies…"

He knelt beside her. She looked to him, as she grabbed his arms. She had the look of one who had long since lost her grip on reality. Her gaze bore into him. "Please, my babies, Drake, please don't let them leave. I'm so tired of chasing them." Her words, disjointed and jumbled came out of her mouth between sobs. He tried to understand what she was saying.

When no one answered the door; Remus beckoned the others to join them; they told them what they had just realized. Harry cast an anti-disapperation spell over the house. They made a quick plan for the group to stand guard around the house and wait for the parents to return. Rowan and Narcissa would take Madison back to the Potter Hospital Wing and sedate her until they could return.

Rowan knelt beside her near hysterical daughter, and disaparated to reappear at the Potter Estate. She took her to Celery and asked the elf to be sure she was given a dreamless sleep potion immediately. She sat in a chair watching Madison as she was given the potion and fell into a troubled sleep.

Sirius, Lucius, Remus, Draco and Mason were waiting in the front of the home when a nervous couple approached, "Can we help you?"

Remus was the first to speak, "We would like to inquire how it is that you came to have our grandchildren in your custody."

The dark man did not answer, although he looked as though he would like to have denied the accusation. Lucius joined the conversation, his eyes narrowed in immediate dislike of the couple, "This man just asked you a question. Either you will answer him or I will hurt you until you do answer him. Please do not force me to do so."

Mason stepped between the two men. "Now now, gentlemen, I am sure these people are reasonable. Besides, we can always just use Veritaserum."

"Please be reasonable. We adopted the little ones right after their birth from a... man in New York. I have the proper papers to prove it." Sirius, shaking with rage, calmed himself only enough to ask to see the papers. The woman entered the hut and came out almost immediately. Handing the papers to Remus, he read over them before handing them off to Draco.

The group looked up as Ginny yelled from the back of the house, "I don't think so. Go back inside and wait." A door slammed then there was silence once again.

Lucius finished reading over the papers and said, "Apparently, the papers are in order. However, we believe that the two children whom you now have are in fact Draco and Madison Malfoy's children who were stolen at birth and during which their memories were modified to block those facts."

The woman fainted. The man knelt beside her. "That's… just not possible."

"This is their father, those three for-the-moment gentlemen are their grandfathers, and I am their uncle. I assume you see some resemblance," the man nodded again. "If you will come with us to the Children's Hospital, we can resolve this within sixty seconds. Will you join us?"

The man politely declined; Draco, having heard enough, apparated back to the hospital to be with Madison. He knew that the rest would be sorted out one way or another without him.

The man agreed to let the men see the children. Together, they walked into the house and within a few minutes, Ginny was pleasantly surprised to see Remus holding one child and Lucius holding the other. They were preparing to leave the village. Holding Harry's hand, Ginny left with her husband to prepare the staff for the tests. Ron and Hermione each took an older child to the Potter Estate. They returned directly to the hospital wing where his wife, daughter and son-in-law were waiting.